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Murray Bridge Fringe 2022: Your local events guide

Sixteen shows will be presented at five venues in Murray Bridge and Tailem Bend for this year's off-shoot of the Adelaide Fringe.

Peri Strathearn

Peri Strathearn

— 9 min read
Murray Bridge Fringe 2022: Your local events guide
Amelia Rooney, Jordan Bender, Ava-Rose Askew, Gabi King, Breigh Angove and Charlee Hoff will feature in Bimbo, a show in this year’s Murray Bridge Fringe. Photo: Finn Brunning.

Local performers will lead the way as the Adelaide Fringe comes to the Murraylands this year.

Murray Bridge and Tailem Bend will host 16 Fringe events in 2022, more than ever, from musical tributes to art exhibitions, street theatre and stand-up comedy.

Fully half of them will feature local talent, including feminist cabaret Bimbo.

Director Amelia Rooney said the show would be filled with powerful songs and characters, presented by a cast which included several Murray Bridge singers.

“I guess I want people to feel hopeful,” she said.

“I want people to be opened to … how we act as people and how that can impact the people we interact with.

“It’s drama-driven, with a lot of acting and character development … I can’t wait.”

Another popular Fringe event will be the annual street party on Sixth Street, Murray Bridge on the evening of Saturday, February 26, offering food trucks and four hours of free entertainment.

Something new for this year will be the conversion of an upstairs meeting room at Murray Bridge Town Hall into a boutique performance space, with funding support from the federal government.

Scroll down for more information about every local Fringe event for 2022.

Rural Strength

February 18-March 20 at Murray Bridge Regional Gallery

A group exhibition by local artists from Bridge Arts. Inspired art drawn from the inner strength of our rural community, their resilience in adversity, their aspirations for the future and their love for their lands.

  • Free.

Spur 2022

February 18-March 20 at Murray Bridge Regional Gallery

Spur 2022 brings together five diverse artists – Chris de Rosa, Lara Tilbrook, Aunty Ellen Trevorrow, Clancy Warner and Laura Wills – with strong connections to regional SA, whose practices draw attention to our inherent interconnectedness with the natural world and the complexities of humankind’s influences on our environments.

  • Free.

Sing Sing Sing

7pm Friday, February 25 at Tailem Bend Town Hall

8pm Saturday, February 26 in the theatre at Murray Bridge Town Hall

Finally making its debut after a 15-month postponement, the Murraylands’ Cabaret Collective presents the greatest sing-along show of all time – according to them, anyway. Featuring chart-toppers, Aussie classics and hits from their sell-out Fringe show Get Back: A Night of the Beatles, warm up those vocal chords and get ready to sing, sing, sing.

Feelin’ Groovy

8pm Friday, February 25 in the theatre at Murray Bridge Town Hall

Feelin’ Groovy is a show tributing the timeless songs of Simon and Garfunkel featuring Harry Baulderstone and Marcus Ryan. After a sell-out season and incredible response from previous performances in the Adelaide Fringe, the pair are teaming up with some of the finest musicians Adelaide has to offer to bring audiences a full band show.

Bettong and Buddies

11am Saturday, February 26 in the theatre at Murray Bridge Town Hall

Bettong and Buddies follows Rufous, a young bettong realising his dream to become a violinist. On this hilarious journey, he encounters other creatures in the Australian bush, who teach him and the audience what it means to be a critical member of his ecosystem. Bettong and Buddies is full of surprises. Is that a real owl sitting in that tree? What else might you see? Each new animal friend Rufous meets on his adventure gives him a gift which, when put together at the end, forms one very special surprise that will strike a chord. After the show, meet some of our unique endangered wildlife and have a pat and a hold. Sit extra close to the action with our VIP seating, be the nearest to our live native animals. Interactive educational session included.

Street Theatre on Sixth

5.30pm Saturday, February 26 on Sixth Street, Murray Bridge

Street Theatre on Sixth is a public celebration of the arts featuring a mix of Adelaide Fringe and local Murraylands-based performers. Sixth Street, in the heart of Murray Bridge, will be closed for a street party-style event with performances through the evening and plenty of colour. A key event for Murray Bridge Fringe.

  • Free.

Mickster’s Magic Birthday Party

11am Sunday, February 27 in the theatre at Murray Bridge Town Hall

After sell-out shows at previous Adelaide Fringe shows, South Australia’s own Mickster the Trickster proves not to be your typical magician. As a trained actor, he has an eccentric, charismatic stage presence that brings a theatrical sense to the performance. Mickster’s birthday party will entertain the whole family as he involves everyone in the thick of the magic. Magical party games, stories and lots of surprises for both parents and kids to enjoy. Suitable for ages one to 10.

Fab Two Hit Mix

2pm Sunday, February 27 in the theatre at Murray Bridge Town Hall

The Fab Two are Ravie Varman and Troy Harrison, two season performers with a mutual love of the Beatles. Take a trip down memory land to classic tracks like Help, She Loves You, Twist and Shout and I Saw Her Standing There. Plus Ravie and Troy will mix it up and perform renditions of Neil Diamond, Johnny Cash classics and many other surprises. It’s sure to be a fabulous show with great music and fabulous company.

Chasing Lights

2pm Sunday, February 27 at Murray Bridge Library

Come down and enjoy a free hour of music in the Murray Bridge Library with Chasing Lights. Playing a dash of original music with a variety of songs from modern day hits to toe-tapping classics. A Sunday session perfect for a chilled afternoon of acoustic music.

  • Free.

Michael Shafar: The Return of Shafar

7.30pm Monday, February 28 in the attic at Murray Bridge Town Hall

As seen and heard on Network 10’s The Project and Studio 10, the ABC’s Comedy Bites, Triple J’s Good Az Friday and more. Double-dosed with AstraZeneca because he’s not a coward, and boosted with Pfizer because he’s not brand-loyal, Michael Shafar is back licking everything again. That’s right, everyone’s favourite Jewish, cancer-surviving lawyer-turned-comedian is returning to Adelaide to solve all of the world’s problems by telling jokes. How do we get everyone vaccinated? How do we solve racism? How do you fold a fitted bed sheet? Michael promises to offer pragmatic solutions to all of these equally important problems. ★★★★½ “Shafar circumnavigates the line between edgy and offensive with beautiful finesse” –The Age

Just Like Old Times

6.30pm Friday, March 4 in the attic at Murray Bridge Town Hall

Brendan O’Donnell and Peri Strathearn reunite for their first gig in seven years. Geez, has it been that long? They oughta catch up more often. In fairness, they have spent the past decade on opposite ends of the earth. Anyway, you’ll hear original songs from their old band, the Ides, described as “sitcom-theme piano pop”; probably some of the tracks they listened to on a Sony Discman while stuck in a tiny French village in 2002; and certainly a bit of recreational reminiscing.

VHS: the Video Hits Show

8pm Friday, March 4 in the theatre at Murray Bridge Town Hall

Returning this year after sold-out shows in 2021. The best bits of your favourite VHS-era movies on the big screen with nine performers creating the musical soundtrack – live. We’ll take you back to your local video store. With so many movies to choose from – Footloose, Dirty Dancing, Top Gun – how do you pick just one? Well, we have the problem solved. We’ve combined the best songs from your favourite videos, and pulled together nine musicians and dancers to perform them live for you all for less than the price of hiring a VHS video and ordering a pizza. There’s only one choice you need to make: will you sit back and watch the show, or will we see you on the dance floor?

Deadly Nannas

2pm Saturday, March 5 in the theatre at Murray Bridge Town Hall

Six Ngarrindjeri women with two kringkri ma:dawar, white sisters, come together to perform songs in Ngarrindjeri and English. We perform together to bring healing, joy, happiness, empowerment and reconciliation. Listen to the lyrics and hear our journey and how we have overcome our struggles in life. The nannas love singing in their language and hopes to inspire their community to continue to revive the language. “Inspiring group of women.” “Beautiful lyric, which made me cry.” “When I hear the women sing, I feel a rush of joy.”

Aboriginal Comedy Allstars

4.30pm Saturday, March 5 in the theatre at Murray Bridge Town Hall

Starring Australia’s premier comedians, Sean Choolburra, Kevin Kropinyeri, Andy Saunders and Steph Tisdell. After sell-out seasons and five-star reviews all throughout Australia and the UK, the Allstars bring huge belly laughs from the heart of the wide brown land. “Properly entertaining.” –The Scotsman ★★★★★ –Ed Fest Mag ★★★★★ –Adelaide Advertiser

Redneck Greenie: Confessions of an Oxymoron

8pm Saturday, March 5 in the theatre at Murray Bridge Town Hall

Redneck Greenie straddles the genres of stand-up comedy, improv, storytelling, satire and physical theatre. It’s Brechtian cabaret, Aussie style. This show explores two common Australian social viewpoints which, at first, appear to be diametrically opposed. We see that they are, in fact, facets of the one bloke as he navigates his personal inner conflict, often in outrageously funny ways. This is a true story. Several stories, in fact. Stories are chosen by the audience from a list of titles. Every show is different. Farmboy, actor and NT Greens candidate Robbie Hoad masterfully weaves fantastic tales. He’s done all the dumb things.

Piece of My Heart

2pm Sunday, March 6 in the theatre at Murray Bridge Town Hall

The story of the turbulent life and times of the late great Janis Joplin, Piece of My Heart the theatre show focuses on her fascinating and fully packed short life, which ended tragically at the age of only 27. Her legendary and influential story is portrayed in both spoken word and live music in a spectacular and highly entertaining full production theatre show. Piece of My Heart features the Internationally acclaimed vocals of Melissa Jubb, who hauntingly brings Janis back to life with an all-star six-piece band. Piece of My Heart evolved from Melissa’s Full Tilt Janis show, performed at Australian Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe and European festivals. This is the ultimate theatre tribute show to Janis Joplin that will take you on a roller-coaster ride of emotions. A show not to be missed.

Bimbo

7pm Sunday, March 6 in the theatre at Murray Bridge Town Hall

Femininity can be overlooked easily. In an attempt to bring a voice to a minority, Bimbo tells the story of what it’s like being a woman experiencing life through songs of hope, lust, love, anger, and pain. Bimbo explores themes of feminism, female sexuality and what it’s like to be queer and have a sense of dread over not being so called “pure”. This is the collective story of womankind. Presented by Hannah Smith.

Note: This story has been updated to reflect Bimbo’s postponement.

Disclosure: The author will feature in two of the shows listed here: Sing, Sing, Sing and Just Like Old Times. You should definitely go to those.

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